For Immediate Release

Middletown, N.J. (February 8, 2024) – The US Navy, Monmouth County, and Monmouth Conservation Foundation (MCF), in partnership with two local townships, have announced the preservation of two properties bordering Naval Weapons Station (NWS) Earle through the Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) Program run by the US Department of Defense (DOD). The two parcels – 20 acres of mostly mature hardwood forest in Howell and 235 acres comprising a thoroughbred horse breeding and training farm in Colts Neck – represent the inaugural conservation projects achieved through this partnership, with aspirations for many more to come.

With over $3 million in federal funding awarded through the REPI program since 2018, MCF and Monmouth County have been working with the Navy and municipalities to permanently protect lands that buffer NWS Earle’s nearly 12,000 acres. Transecting the County from the Leonardo community in Middletown through Colts Neck to Howell, the naval base contains one of the largest wooded areas in Monmouth.

The REPI Program funds Congressionally authorized cost-sharing partnerships among the Military Services, private conservation groups (like MCF), and state and local governments to protect military installations and ranges against encroachment or impacts to mission and operations by outside pressures. These can include scenarios such as incompatible development, threatened and endangered species habitat, and the varying effects of climate change – especially increased temperatures, changes in precipitation volume and intensity, and flood and wildfire risk.

“We are pleased to build upon our already stellar partnerships with Monmouth County, Monmouth Conservation Foundation, and our local municipalities through the REPI program,” said Capt. Kent D. Smith, NWS Earle Commanding Officer. “Thanks to this program we are able to promote military readiness and prevent encroachment while helping our neighbors protect and preserve more of our surrounding landscapes.”

To protect against encroachment, land in the vicinity of military bases is typically protected, as in the case of these first-round projects, through conservation and/or agricultural easements purchased by the project partners and granted by willing landowners. The easement language permanently limits development potential and restricts the lands to conservation and agricultural uses. Where relevant, ecological restoration can be conducted on or obtained through the protection of land.

REPI funding provides up to one-half of the easement purchase price for eligible properties, and the program requires at least a 50% match from other funding sources. In the case of the NWS Earle REPI program pilot project in Howell, the Navy provided half of the funding through its awards to MCF and the County, followed by contributions from Monmouth County, Howell Township, and MCF. The larger-in-scope, subsequent project in Colts Neck was funded by Monmouth County, which provided the greatest funding, followed by the Navy’s REPI funding awarded to MCF and the County, and Colts Neck Township funding. MCF provided in-kind support and facilitation assistance for both easement acquisitions. 

“The Monmouth County Board of County Commissioners is excited to partner with the U.S. Navy, MCF, as well as Colts Neck and Howell townships, to preserve this important land which will assist NWS Earle so they remain mission-ready,” said Commissioner Director Thomas A. Arnone. “Programs like REPI are essential, not only to military mission success but to the preservation of land that will be protected against encroachment or development. Thank you to our partners for their support.”

MCF has identified several additional parcels of land eligible for protection through the REPI program and is actively negotiating with interested property holders to protect their land through an easement. Future land preservation through the REPI program in Monmouth County is dependent on funding availability among partners. County and municipal Open Space Trusts, funded by local property taxes, and private philanthropy to MCF, bolster the partners’ ability to take advantage of the REPI program opportunity.

“MCF is thrilled to be a recipient of REPI program funding and grateful to our public and private partners for helping to bring these projects to fruition. We are dedicated to protecting the natural habitats, farmland, and open spaces which make Monmouth County so special from being lost forever,” said Bill Kastning, MCF’s Executive Director.

The partners are planning a ceremony in the coming weeks to commemorate the pilot project in Howell and subsequent NWS Earle REPI project success in Colts Neck.

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Naval Weapons Station Earle Contact:
Bill Addison
Public Affairs Officer
Naval Weapons Station Earle
732. 866.2171 w; 732.558.5617 c
william.j.addison.civ@us.navy.mil

Monmouth County Contact:
Tricia Ring Wajda
Director, Dept. of Public Information, Economic Development & Tourism
Monmouth County
732.431.7310 x 7318 w
media@visitmonmouth.com 

Monmouth Conservation Foundation Contact:
Karen Keene
Director of Development and Communications
Monmouth Conservation Foundation
kkeene@monmouthconservation.org
732.671.7000 w; 908.839.0324 c 

About Naval Weapons Station Earle
Located in the heart of Monmouth County, New Jersey, Naval Weapons Station Earle provides ordnance for the U.S. Navy’s Atlantic Fleet Carrier and Expeditionary Strike Groups and supports strategic Department of Defense ordnance requirements. www.cnic.navy.mil/earle  

About Monmouth County
Monmouth County is located in eastern-central New Jersey, on the state’s northern Atlantic Ocean coastline. At 472 square miles, Monmouth County is New Jersey’s sixth largest county in terms of geographic area and is home to 659,000 people. www.visitmonmouth.com  

About Monmouth Conservation Foundation
Founded in 1977, Monmouth Conservation Foundation (MCF) works to acquire and preserve open space and farmland and conserve natural habitats throughout Monmouth County in support of outdoor recreation, agriculture, clean water, and wildlife for long-term sustainability. An independent nonprofit organization that works with Monmouth County and its 53 municipalities, MCF’s vision is to lead conservation and education efforts to preserve and protect our natural environment, so all individuals and communities have access to and can benefit from open space and nature for generations to come. www.monmouthconservation.org